Emerson on Hurumzi

236 Hurumzi (once known as the Emerson & Green) is a small boutique hotel right in the heart of Stone Town. Mr Green, of the original 'Emerson & Green' partnership, is still the managing director of the hotel, which hasn't really changed much in character since it acquired its new name. (However, Mr Emerson is, conspicuously, not part of this hotel any more – he is, allegedly, looking into a new hotel venture of his own!)

Our view of Emerson on Hurumzi

Sadly, on this last visit, we were disappointed. We had a careful look around the hotel, and it remains beautiful – the rooms are still original and many of them are lovely. However, we were singularly unimpressed with the staff; several of them were rude and unhelpful (both to us, and to guests with whom we saw them interact). We also met briefly with Mr. Green. He dismissed our comments, blankly insisting that his hotel had only got better over the last six years. He swiftly brushed aside our concerns over the service, and commented that 'one or two of the staff are characters' to explain their bad attitude.
We left with a memory of 236 Hurumzi's lovely rooms, which really are special. However, its staff and management stuck in our minds more. We felt sad that they seemed to have little interest in recognising or addressing the hotel's shortcomings, of which 'service' was the big issue for us.

We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.